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Is there a disease that makes us love cats? - Jaap de Roode

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TEDEd Animation

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Today, about a third of the world’s population is infected with a strange disease called toxoplasmosis — and most of them never even know it. And while the parasite can multiply in practically any host, it can only reproduce sexually in the intestines of cats. Could this disease be the reason so many people love cats and keep them as pets? Jaap de Roode shares what we know about toxoplasmosis.

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Suppose you did an experiment in which you gave both uninfected and infected chimpanzees a choice between hiding places sprinkled with the urine of leopards, hiding places sprinkled with the urine of hyenas and hiding places without any urine. If Toxoplasma controls chimpanzee behavior, which of the following results would you expect to observe?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Jaap de Roode
  • Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
  • Director Anton Bogaty
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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